John reel



(No Model.)

J. REEL. HARNESS ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES.

,79'7. Patented Nov. 24, 1896.

lg zgior {755-71 fieez,

an w UNITED STATES Arena rricn,

JOHN REEL, Oh FRENCH CAMPS, MISSISSIPPI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO J. A. SANDERSON, OF SAME PLACE.

HARNESS ATTACHMENT FOR VEl-HCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 571,797, dated November 24, 1896. Application filed April 3, 18%. Serial No. 586,116. (No model.)

To MZIC 1071,0717, i6 'nmg concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN HEEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at French Camps, in the county of Choctaw and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and useful Harness Attachment, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in harness attachments.

The object of the invention is to provide a holdback attachment adapted to accommodate itself to ordinary horse motion and capable of a limited upward and downward movement to yield to the movements of the horse in descending a hill or in traveling over rough roads.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a harness attachment constructcdin accordance with this invention and shown applied to a pair of thills. Fig; 2 is a detail perspective view of one of the clamps of the holdhack. Fi 3 is a detail sectional view of the same.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings. V

1 designates a flexible holdback extending across a pair of thills 2 of a carriage or other vehicle and constructed of any suitable material, such as leather, metal, wood, or a comhination of such materials. The holdback is curved to conform generally to an animal, and its terminals are secured to yielding-lyinounted arms 3 of clamps 4; by screws or other suitable fastening devices.

The clamps 4, which adjustably engage the thills and which are adapted to be moved forward or rearward to adjust the holdback to animals of different sizes, consist of a back portion 5, a rigid lower jaw which is preferably formed integral. with the hack 5, and an upper jaw '7, which is hinged at its innerend to the top of the back and which is connected with the lower jaw bya vertical fastening device 8, passing through perforations of the jaws. The jaws of the clamp are adapted to engage the upper and lower faces of the thill, and the fastening device 8, which is arranged outside of the thill, is provided at its upper end with a head and has its lower end thread ed for the reception of a nut. The yieldinglymounted arm 3 is reduced to form an ear 9, which is perforated and secured in a recess or opening 10 in the back of the clamp by a transverse pivot 11. The shoulder formed by the reduction of the arm 3 engages the back of the clamp to prevent the arm from swinging upward beyond a horizontal position, and a spiral spring 12, which is housed in a suitable opening or socket 13, is connected with the arm to maintain it normally in a horizontal position and permit it to swing downward to yield to the downward movements of a horse in descending a hill or traveling over rough roads. By this construction the arm 3 is permitted a limited vertical oscillating movement to allow the holdhack to yield to the movements of the animal, and the arm 3 is reversible to enable a clamp to be arranged on either thill. The pivot 11 is adapted to be removed to enable the arm 3 to be mounted at the opposite edge of the back; in order to extend rearward from the clamp when the latter is mounted on either thill.

The holdback greatly simplifies the harness, and by doing away with the breeching strap and connections it allows the horse to back with as much force as desired without straining the harness.

The front portions of the chills are provided with catches 1'7, designed to be connected with the hame of a harness and comprising an attachmenuplate 18, a forwardlyswinging tongue or hook 19, and a spring-actuated bolt mounted on the rear portion of the attachment frame or plate for engaging the pivoted tongue or hook to confine a ring or loop of a hame, A line 27 is attached by means of a link 28 to each of the spring-actuated bolts, and it extends from the catches to the body of the vehicle to a point within easy reach of the occupant. By drawing the lines rearward the pivoted hooks or tongues are released and the draft-animal is entirely disconnected from the vehicle,

The harness attachment is adapted to be readily applied to all kinds of one-horse vehicles. It greatly facilitates harnessing and unharnessing and will enable a horse in event of a runaway to be readily disconnected from the vehicle to avoid injury to the occupant thereof.

hat I claim is The combination with a pair of thills, of a curved holdback extending across the space between the same, clamps engaging the thills and provided with back portions 5 arranged at the inner faces of the thills, arms 3 piv oted to the back portions 5, extending rearward therefrom and engaging the same, whereby they are prevented from swinging JOHN REEL.

\Vii nesses:

J. M. BROWN, WM. ROBERTS. 

